Walk With Me?
by HopelessOwls
Summary: Zuko and Katara go for a walk and some interesting things happen. Zutara oneshot.


**Authors Note: Yay for smut! Basically that's all this is, with some fluff included. (I just really love Zutara ok) Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

* * *

They had been walking in the woods outside of the house on Ember Island, neither of them able to sleep. Zuko held a fireball in his palm, lighting their way. They didn't talk, just reveled in the comfortable silence, each of them absorbed with their own thoughts. All Katara could think about was the dream she had been having that woke her up and prevented her from finding sleep again.

* * *

_Katara was running down the hall of what she imagined to be the Fire Nation palace. The walls were made of metal and every five feet there was a large banner depicting the Fire Nation emblem. And they were all on fire. Jets and bursts of flame scorched past her and she almost tripped over her own feet trying to avoid them. Katara looked over her shoulder at her attackers and saw only the demonic masks of Fire Nation soldiers, hand's raised and ready to blast her into oblivion. Katara turned a corner, flames licking at her calves and slammed into something hard – or someone hard. Zuko was standing in front of her, but not the Zuko she knew now. It was the Zuko from before, with his permanent scowl and angry eyes and long hair tied into a ponytail. He grasped her wrists tightly in his large hands and whispered in her ear. "You should have let me save you from the pirates." _

* * *

Katara had woken up, shaking and sweaty and not really sure why her heart was racing. Once she had fully woken up, she shook herself and wondered at her strange dream. She brushed her damp hair away from her face and got out of bed when it became obvious she wouldn't be returning to sleep soon. She had gone downstairs and into the kitchen where she found Zuko sitting at the table, absently sharpening his swords. For a second her heart had stilled, her dream version of Zuko swimming to the surface of her mind before she banished the image. Zuko was on her side and he was her friend. She sat down at the table with him and he offered to go on a walk.

* * *

"So…" Zuko suddenly broke the silence between them.

Katara looked at him. He wasn't looking at her, instead he was staring straight ahead. Katara could only see one side of his face, the side that was unmarred by his scar. For a second, curiosity tugged at her, but she didn't ask – she never did. "Yeah?"

"Why did you agree to walk with me?"

Katara frowned. She thought the question was random, but maybe not. This was the first time she and Zuko had spent any time alone together after he joined the group. Did he still think she didn't completely trust him? After he had helped Sokka rescue her dad and Suki, all her suspicions had vanished. Apparently Zuko didn't know that.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know, maybe because you hate me?"

Katara blinked, surprised. "I don't hate you."

Zuko shot her a weird look at her and walked silently for a few minutes until they found a small clearing in the sparse woods. It wasn't much, maybe five feet of open grass surrounded by trees. Zuko sat down on a fallen log and considered the flame in his hand.

"You told me you hated me. When I first got to the Western Air Temple," he told her without looking up.

Katara sat next to him. "That was before you helped saved my dad."

"Was that really all it took to earn your trust?" he asked warily, eying her from his bad eye.

Katara shrugged. "That's not all you did. You helped me find my mother's murderer. You supported me, and no one else did. Besides, you're nice to me. I thought it was obvious I trusted you. If I didn't trust you, it would be fairly obvious."

Zuko stared back into his fire. He made it larger and then sucked it in again, condensing it into a small ball that was not bigger around than a copper piece. In the faint light, Katara could see Zuko bite his lip. "What?" she asked him.

Zuko sighed and leaned back against the tree behind him. "Nothing. I was just thinking about that stupid play."

Katara grimaced, remembering her portrayal in that awful show. "We should have never gone to see that."

"No," Zuko agreed quietly, "We shouldn't have."

"I knew it was bothering you."

"Why would it bother me?" he said defensively.

"How would that _not_ bother you? You died screaming about respect."

"It was honor, actually."

"Whatever," Katara rolled her eyes.

Zuko was silent for a moment. "What really bothered me was that was what the people wanted. All the people in there _cheered_ when Aang died. They were happy with the idea of a 13 year old boy _burning to death_."

Katara sighed and leaned back too. "I know…but I wasn't really surprised. A lot of people in the Fire Nation want to see Aang dead."

"Yeah, I know…it's just weird to see them actually happy about it rather than just knowing what they want. I mean, there's a difference between wanting someone gone and cheering when they die horribly."

They fell silent again and Katara watched Zuko's face. He was still biting his lip and staring at his fire. "There's something else, isn't there? Something else about the play," Katara asked quietly.

Zuko glanced at her face before looking away. He sat still for a moment, thinking it over before taking a deep breath. "All that stuff about my uncle…"

"Oh."

"I just…didn't like being reminded of it."

"Nobody likes being reminded of their mistakes," Katara told him gently.

Zuko nodded but said nothing. They stayed silent for a short time, Katara watching Zuko make shapes with his fire and occasionally looking around when she heard an owl hoot or a small animal rustle the underbrush. When she turned back to Zuko after trying to find a particularly loud creature, she found him not looking at his fire, but at her throat. Katara looked down and saw that her necklace was reflecting the light, making the blue stone white.

"What is that?" Zuko asked her curiously. "It was your mother's right?"

"Yes, and my grandmother's before her. It's a betrothal necklace. My grandmother's fiancé carved it for her."

"Do people always do that in the Water Tribes?"

"The men all carve some kind of necklace for their brides. It's tradition."

Zuko seemed to consider that. "I always wondered."

Katara smiled softly and ran her fingers over the bumps and ridges of the stone. Everything about it was familiar. She could draw the designs in her sleep.

Zuko watched the movement of her fingers. Suddenly, he stood. "We should get back. In case someone wakes up."

Katara stood too. She stretched her arms over her head, bones in her back popping. Zuko's fire suddenly went out. Katara blinked rapidly in the sudden darkness, her eyes adjusting to the moonlight. She could see Zuko standing in front of her, closer than he was a second ago. "Zuko, wha-?"

Zuko yanked her against his chest, surprising her. He bent down and before Katara could really register what was happening, his mouth was on hers, his lips moving fast and hard.

It wasn't like anything she could have imagined. Katara's first kiss had been with Aang, and the most he had ever given her was a short peck on the lips, nothing particularly romantic. Zuko didn't kiss her like that. He kissed her like she was steam, like she was about to disappear and he was trying to get as much from her as he could. His lips were chapped and a little scratchy, but Katara didn't mind much.

Zuko pushed Katara against a tree and pushed her mouth open with his. He seemed frustrated with her lack of response to him, but Katara wasn't really sure of what to do and he was moving too fast for her to figure it out. All she could think about was how hot his body was pressed against hers and the rough bark biting into her back and catching her hair.

Katara feet Zuko's tongue brush against hers and she shivered. It felt good, but strange at the same time. Zuko kissed her harder, his tongue sweeping against her lips and pressing against hers. His hands felt strong on her hips and his chest was pressed so close to hers she felt like she couldn't breathe.

Katara wasn't sure what she was feeling. Part of her wanted to pull Zuko even closer and the other wanted to push him away. She doesn't even like Zuko that way– or at least she didn't think she did. She considered him to be a close friend, but there _were_ times when he made her feel fuzzy on the inside and made her laugh, but other times he drove her crazy and made her want to punch him in the gut.

But right then, she wasn't feeling either of those things. She had no idea what she was feeling. She felt happy and nervous and confused and doesn't know what she wanted or what she didn't want.

Zuko was still kissing her but then he started to pull away, maybe regretting the kiss in the first place. Before his lips left hers, recovered from her shock and wrapped her arms around his neck and tried her best to imitate what he had been doing to her a few seconds ago.

Zuko grunted against her mouth, his lips moving with hers. Katara allowed herself to relax against his body, supported by his strong arms and the tree at her back. She wrapped her fingers in his shaggy hair and pressed her chest against his and kissed him without thinking about anything else.

She's surprised to find something hard and long pressing against her stomach. Katara felt a surge of fear flow through her. She knew what Zuko wanted but she didn't know if _she_ wanted it.

But Zuko didn't give her much time to think about it. He pulled her down to the ground and climbed over her, pushing her legs apart with one hand. His golden eyes stared into hers. Katara could see lust and desire deep in them, but also frustration and something she couldn't quite identify, something that looked almost predatory.

Zuko got comfortable between her legs and started tugging at her shirt. When it didn't immediately come off of her he growled and pulled harder, ripping the fabric in the process. Katara would have been mad, but she had hardly even noticed.

Katara had never really thought about sex. Sure, she knew what it was and had wondered what it was like, but she had never really thought about actually doing it with anybody. And certainly not with someone like Zuko.

Zuko busied himself with pulling off all her other garments, not being very gentle with them either. He had trouble when it came to the bindings on her chest. Eventually, Katara undid the knot herself, laughing a little at the expression on his face. When Katara was finally naked in front of him, he leaned down again and kissed her, all his passion and desire pouring out of him. One of his hands trailed from her shoulder to her waist and she shuddered, goosebumps popping up all over her body.

Katara pulled at Zuko's shirt, her fingers trembling slightly. He lifted his upper body from her long enough to pull the fabric over his head before leaning back down and kissing her neck, sucking at the sensitive spot right above her collarbone.

Katara groaned quietly when Zuko's rough hands started massaging her breasts. It felt good, and somewhere in her confused and desire-fuelled mind, she heard herself telling Zuko not to stop. But of course, he did. Zuko leaned over her completely, bracing himself on one forearm and pulling his pants off with his other hand. Katara focused her gaze on the stars that were just visible over Zuko's shoulder.

Katara heard the soft thump of cloth hitting the ground and was conscious of Zuko positioning himself in front of her. Katara held her breath, her entire body tensing.

"Relax," Zuko whispered, husky and soft. Comforting. Katara felt his fingers graze her inner thigh and she breathed out slowly, anticipation clenching the muscles in her stomach. Zuko pressed two fingers into her body and she gasped at the sensation. He moved his fingers around and Katara grasped the arm that Zuko was using to prop himself up, digging her fingernails into his bicep and wiggling around his fingers.

His fingers searched her and his thumb brushed the sensitive bundle of nerves until she groaned and bucked her hips at him. Katara gasped when his fingers left her, missing the heat.

Zuko leaned down again, pressing close and kissing her shoulder. Katara felt Zuko graze her and the unfamiliar sensation makes her tense up again. Zuko paused for a second, looking at her and waiting for Katara to nod her consent before pushing himself into her. He wrapped one arm over her shoulders, cushioning her head with his arm.

Katara made a sound between a whimper and a cry when he stretched her. She pressed her face against his shoulder, trying to blink tears out of her eyes. It hurt, more than she had expected it to. It felt like he was too big, like if he moved, something was going to tear.

Zuko started to move out of her, but Katara grabbed his shoulders. "Hold – hold on a minute. Let me…let me get used to it."

Zuko stilled and Katara breathed deeply through her nose. She could feel Zuko trembling with the effort of not moving and she held her breath and moved her hips around him, trying to get as comfortable as she could.

When she was ready, Katara touched Zuko's face. He looked at her and she smiled. Zuko pulled back a little and pressed forward a couple times, going slow and letting her get used to it, before finding his rhythm. When he did, he pumped her until their hips were banging together and he was grunting and she was panting.

With every thrust, Katara gasped soundlessly. It still hurt, but with every thrust, the pain mixed with pleasure. Katara raked Zuko's back with her nails, wincing and crying out with pain and sometimes pleasure and even as much as she wanted him to stop, she wanted him to keep going.

Zuko's thrusts started becoming more erratic and Katara could feel him twitching inside of her. She knew he was close to climaxing and so did he because he thrusted harder and harder each time, making her shout from pleasure when he pushed into her just right and the ball of his hand reached between them to rub against her in time with his thrusts.

When he released, she gasped and he collapsed on top of her, pleasure obvious on his face while he moaned into her sweaty skin, one hand weakly supporting his upper body. Katara closed her eyes and waiting for her own pleasure to fade, groaning quietly against his shoulder. Zuko stayed still for a moment, leaning against Katara's shoulder before blinking sweaty hair out of his eyes. He sighed as he pulled out of her and sat up, looking at her with a warm and gentle look on his face.

Katara pushed her body into a sitting position and didn't look down at herself. It felt sticky between her legs and she didn't want to look. Instead she looked at Zuko, at his golden eyes and black hair and wonders for the hundredth time how he got that scar that he never talks about.

She wants to ask, but it wasn't the time.

* * *

They were sitting against the fallen log, a small circle of fire burning in front of them. Neither of them had put their clothes back on. Katara was curled under Zuko's arm, her head leaning against his shoulder and her eyes dropping tiredly.

Zuko had pulled her close after a few moments of awkward silence, neither of them really sure what do after what just happened. He had wrapped his arm around her and she had felt his body relax when he cuddled close to him. She didn't want to say anything, not wanting to disturb the peace between them. And she didn't really know what to say. She hadn't expected Zuko to kiss her and she sure as hell hadn't expected him to have sex with her either. Katara didn't even know why she had let him, but she didn't regret it. It had felt good and she had really liked it, even though it did make her feel guilty and unsure too.

But it somehow felt right, leaning against Zuko and watching the sky turn red and orange. She felt safe, a feeling she would have never thought the Fire Prince could instill in her.

Zuko pressed his face into her hair and inhaled. "Mmm. That was probably stupid."

"Probably."

"Do you regret it?" he whispered to her.

"No. You?" Katara asked, leaning back so that she could look at him in the face.

A rare grin tugged at his lips. "Never."

Katara reached up and let her fingers trail across his scar and he sighed into her hand and closed his eyes. Katara watched his face curiously. She had never seen this side of Zuko, this vulnerable and soft side of him. She smiled to herself.

She curled back up against him and he let her for a while. Then he pulled her up along with him and gathered their clothes. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

They went back to the house, luckily getting there before anybody woke up. Zuko followed her to her room and helped her pull the twigs and leaves out of her thick hair and she cleaned the small amount of dried blood off of herself. Zuko left her room before Sokka could barge in and find him in there, but not before promising her to take her on another walk the next night.

Katara smiled to herself, feeling a warm trace of happiness and anticipation in her chest as she got back into bed and fell asleep, her thoughts and dreams filled with Zuko.


End file.
